The soft airplane lights and the gentle hum of the engine gave him a strange sense of calm, even though his heart felt unbearably heavy.
Bamson's face kept flashing before his eyes.
He didn't even realize when his eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted into sleep.
In his dream, he saw—
a girl dressed in white, sitting on her knees. Her face glowed softly, her eyes wet with tears, and her lips moved in prayer:
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِهِ وَاغْفِرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ وَاجْعَلِ الإِيمَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ نُوراً وَهُدًى
Allāhumma ihdihi waghfir lahu warḥamhu waj'alil-īmāna fī qalbihi nūran wa hudā.
> "O Allah! Guide him, forgive him, shower Your mercy upon him, and fill his heart with the light of faith and guidance."
The prayer was so heartfelt, so full of spirituality, that Jeon.J's heart trembled.
It felt as if this dua was being made only for him.
He woke up with a sudden start. The cabin was still quiet; passengers were lost in sleep or their own thoughts. For a moment, he couldn't understand what he had just seen… what he had just heard.
But as he took a deep breath and thought about it, his heart skipped a beat.
"This… this was the same voice," he whispered.
At once, the memory came back — on his way to Busan, in the economy seat just ahead of him, a girl had been sitting. She was reading something aloud, in a language Jeon.J didn't understand, but the spirituality in her voice had stayed with him ever since.
He lifted his head from the seat, feeling an unfamiliar restlessness in his chest.
"Who is she…? The same voice… the same girl… in my dream and in reality?"
His voice was barely audible, as if he were talking to himself.
---
Fifteen Days Later
All of us were sitting together in the dorm. Bamson had completely recovered and had grown close to everyone — even Zoya.
But Zoya still didn't go near him much.
Yet, whenever she was alone with him in the room, she would talk to him softly.
Hana broke the silence first.
"I checked all the sites again. Still no news about Bamson. It's been fifteen days since he's been with us. How much longer can we live like this? Honestly, I think we should have given him to the police station that very first day," Hana said.
Zoya raised one eyebrow at her.
When Hana saw Zoya's look, she said, "Yes, you were right. We should have given him to the police. Jeon.J's silence doesn't feel right to me. What if we get into trouble?"
Hana's face genuinely looked worried.
"Yes. Jeon.J and his team are back from the USA after their concert tour. I even watched a fancam video of their airport arrival. They're in Seoul now. I'm sure Jeon.J will do something about Bamson — maybe even post publicly about him being missing. I just can't believe he forgot Bamson or accepted his loss. Before he finds out anything, we should either return Bamson to them or hand him over to the police," Sofia said.
Minji was sitting quietly, stroking Bamson's head. Ruhi nudged her.
"What are you thinking?" Ruhi asked.
Minji looked up at all of us.
"Zoya, how's your job going?" she asked suddenly.
Ruhi frowned, feeling a little ignored because Minji hadn't answered her question.
"My job is going well, actually. I've always liked kitchen work, and I got exactly that job. I'm happy, the staff is nice, and I'm satisfied. But why are you asking?" Zoya asked.
"Hana, Ruhi — how are your jobs going?" Minji asked, turning to them.
We all looked at each other, confused about why Minji was suddenly asking questions like a teacher.
"Our jobs are also going well. It's not much, but we earn enough to pay our fees and manage our expenses — because we don't have to send money back home," Hana replied.
"Yes, but I do have to send money," Zoya said softly.
Her voice grew heavy as she continued,
"I came here after taking a big family loan. Honestly, it wasn't easy. Instead of supporting me, my relatives gave me the loan very strictly, with constant reminders to return it quickly. I've endured harsh words from my own family just to be here, just to chase this dream. Every paycheck I get, I think of that loan first. It's hard… but I have no choice."
Minji nodded, her face serious now.
"Look, Sofia and I have decided something."
The three of us looked at each other in surprise.
"Why don't we rent an apartment? Our biggest problem here is food. If we're late in the morning or evening, the mess is closed, so we end up eating outside. The food here is free, but only if we make it to the mess — and we hardly ever go. What's the use then? And most importantly, we need to keep Bamson safe."
"But we can't afford an apartment," Zoya said quickly.
"And we can't take Bamson to the police now either. They will get suspicious of us."
Minji immediately replied,
"That's what I kept saying — inform the police — but you all didn't agree. And now you're worried they'll get suspicious?"
Zoya felt irritated.
"Minji, don't cut me off again and again!"
Minji's face hardened.
"Zoya, don't interrupt me like this!"
Zoya stared at her in surprise. Since their friendship began, Minji had never spoken to her this sharply.
"Okay, sorry. Go ahead," Zoya said quietly.
"If we rent an apartment, it'll be better. Many students here aren't satisfied with the university dorm and they rent their own apartment or shared house nearby. We can do the same. Bamson will be safe, and we'll have more freedom too," Minji explained.
"Minji, it's easy for you — and for Sofia — but we three are strugglers. We have to cover all our living costs with these jobs. You two can afford it because your families support you. But we burned all our boats to come here. There's no going back now," Ruhi said calmly.
"Then we'll pay the rent for you guys, what's the big deal?" Sofia offered.
"No way. We still have our self-respect. Please don't ever say that again," Zoya said firmly.
Minji gave Sofia a sharp look, clearly not approving of her words either.
"Our intention wasn't to hurt you. We'll look for a place near the university that everyone can afford. What matters is that we stay together — equally," Minji said, softening her tone.
"Okay, look for a place. Then we'll think about it," Hana said, ending the discussion.
---
Snow covered Korea like a white blanket. The university announced the start of winter vacation, with online classes continuing. Minji didn't forget her promise — she kept searching for an affordable place.
Two days later, on the first day of vacation, Minji announced that she had found a cheap share house — a single large hall with a small but modern kitchen, a bathroom with a gallery-style wash area, and even a little balcony.
"It's actually really nice. I want you all to come see it, then we can decide," Minji said.
Everyone was surprised. They thought Minji would forget, but she hadn't.
They agreed to go see the share house.
Zoya, however, felt uneasy — she still wasn't sure she could afford it.
---
Meanwhile, Jeon.J…
Back in the USA, he kept himself busy with work, but the voice he had heard — both on the flight to Busan and in his dream — never left his mind.
After the concert tour, the team began traveling back to Korea. On the private jet, Jeon.J suddenly got up and walked over to Jea, who was sitting a few seats away.
The members watched curiously. Normally, Jeon.J would just call Jea over, but this time he went to him.
"Jea…" Jeon.J said.
Jea immediately stood up. "Yes, Mr. Jeon? Everything alright?"
"Yes. Remember what I asked you to do?" Jeon.J said quietly.
Jea thought hard. There were so many pending tasks that he couldn't recall which one Jeon.J meant.
"Sorry, Jeon.J. Can you give me a hint? Too many things are on my list right now," Jea said, a little worried.
Jeon.J was about to turn away when Jea suddenly remembered.
"Oh yes! You asked me to find out who was sitting in the seat ahead of you on the Busan flight."
Jeon.J nodded. "Yes. It was a girl, not a boy."
Jea looked at him in surprise but didn't ask any further questions.
---
When the flight landed, the airport was filled with fans, but everyone reached Seoul safely.
That night, Jeon.J spoke to Kim Joon.
"I'm going to go live and publicly announce that Bamson is missing. If anyone has seen him or knows about him, they can contact Jea," Jeon.J said.
"Alright, I'll do everything I can to help you find him," Kim Joon promised.
Later that night, around 2 a.m., Jeon.J called Jea again.
"If there's a flight to Busan tomorrow morning, book my seat. Once the snow starts, no one knows when flights will be delayed or canceled. I need to get there as soon as possible."
Jea hesitated. "Jeon.J… don't worry. Everything will be handled. You'll get Bamson back."
But Jeon.J stayed silent — his heart heavy, his resolve unshaken.
To be Continue...
If you felt connected to this episode, don't forget to share your thoughts in the comments — your feedback truly motivates me to write more! 💜
— ZK